Book Review: Homespun Remedies by D. Betts, N. Patrick

This book is a nice tool if you're searching for solutions to fairly common situations (dealing with babysitters, toilet training, and so on). The problem is that the answers to each situation are virtually the same, they are almost exclusively behavioral - and they are summed up in a top notch chapter at the end of the book entitled "Tools for Adapting the Environment for Success." In short, the book could probably have been an excellent article, but at 155 pages it's just too long.

The full title of this book by Bion Betts, Ed.D. and Nancy Patrick, Ph.D., is Homespun Remedies: Strategies in the Home and Community for Children with Autism Spectrum and Other Disorders. It's a collection of mini-essays on a wide range of situations that arise in the lives of parents of children with autism. Each little chapter includes a real story of a parents' conundrum, an analysis of the situation, and a set of recommendations for similar or better outcomes.

In general, the authors recommend a combined approach that prepares the child with autism for a new or complex situation and also prepares and/or adapts the environment to improve the odds of success. They're quite specific, in many cases, about how parents might break down a task into small, bite-sized bits ("task analysis").

The book's final chapter is actually a terrific resource - assuming you're looking for a quick, pithy overview of behavioral approaches to managing autism. In it, they explain exactly what is meant by a behavior plan, describe direct instruction, and provide a clear description of what a visual schedule should look like.

The down side: This book focuses almost exclusively on behavioral techniques - which means that parents seeking, for example, alternatives to gluten and cassein at a birthday party will find this book very frustrating. And while it addresses a wide range of real life situations, it's light on the details that parents crave - where to fine an appropriate babysitter, for example.